Tailor&#39;s iron.



A. DURAND. TAILOR'S IRON. APPLICATION FILED III/w10, I9I5.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.'

"Wm I. 7 y n 5 Y I I III I. w

f l' l orrrpn ALEXANDER DURAND, OE LOS ANGELES, CALFORNIA.

TAILORS IRON.

Application filed May 10, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALEXANDER DURAND, a citizen of the United States; residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles steam to the fabric which is being pressed.-

A further 4object of the invention is to provide steam producing means in the iron and to provide valve means for controlling the flow of water into said steam producing means, so that there is no danger of an excess of water being admitted thereto.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of check valve which will prevent the steam which is generated in the iron from flowing back through the water channels, this check valve allowing considerable steam pressure to be produced and insuring that the steam so produced flows through the toe, of the iron to the fabric being pressed.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only: Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of my iron. Fig. 2 is a partial section on the plane @e2-m2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the toe of the iron as seen from below in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section of the valve means and the supporting'structure therefor.

ln the ,form of my invention illustrated in these drawings, 11 is the body of a tailors iron, an electrically heated iron being shown for illustrative purposes, although my invention may be applied to irons having other heating means. In the iron shown', an electric heating element 12 is provided adjacent to the bottom 13, this heating element being clamped between the bottom 13 and a backing block 14 by means of screws 15. The backing block 14 serves as a heat storage means for the heating element 12. A cover 16 is secured on top of the body 11 by means of screws 17, and a plug attachment 18 provides for a connection between the electrical conductors 19 and suitable terminals attached to the heating element 12, such heating element, plug, and terminals being old in the art and forming no part of the' present invention.

A steam generator 2O is secured by means of screws 21 on the top of the backing block ,Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Serial No. 27,269.

14, this generator 20 being preferably formed of copper and being steam tight, except for openings 22 and 23 which are formed in the top thereof. A pipe 24 is screwed in the opening 22 and is connected by means of a coupling 25 with a pipe,

-26 which extends downwardly and is threaded into an opening 27 in a tip 28, the tip 28 being formed in the body 11 of the iron or being secured around the front of the iron by any suitable means not shown. A

steam channel 29 extends around inside the tip 28 and a plurality of narrow slots 30 extend through the bottom of the tip, connecting the steam channel 29 with the outer air. A nipple 61 is screwed into the opening 23, this nipple 'having an opening 31 extending therethrough. A ball 32 is placed in the opening 31 and is secured in place by a pin 33, the ball being so located that it -seats against a conical seat 34 whenever pressure is applied from below. The nipple 61 has a coupling 35 threaded on the upper end thereof, this coupling being threaded on a valve body 3G which has a manual valve seat 37 formed on the lower end thereof. A manual valve 38 is normally seated thereon, closing an opening 39 extending upwardly therethrough. A' valve stern 40 is threaded into the manually oper tion between the interior of the pipe 44 and the interior of the cylinder 42 below the piston 41. ylhe pipe 44 is threaded into a handle valve body 47, this body having a vertical opening 48 through which the valve stem 41 extends, and having a horizontal opening 49 in which is secured a water supply4 pipe 50. The valve stem 40 passes through packing 51, this packing being compressed by a follower 52.` An operat ing button 53 is secured on the valve stem 40, projecting slightly above the surface of the valve body 47 in a position where it can be conveniently depressed by the thumb of ible hose, or which may be provided with a receptacle in which a supply o f water is carried. A front standard 56 also extends up- '46 in the piston 41 into the interior ofthe wardly from the top 16, and the casting 47 is secured therein by meansfof a nut 57 threaded on a stud 58 formed on the handle casting 47.

The method of operation of my invention is as follows: Electric current being supplied through the conductors 19, water is supplied through the pipe 55, the water passing through the pipe 50 into the openving- 48 in the body 47. This water is free to pass downwardly through the pipe' 44 and passes slowly through the small opening cylinder. 42, this cylinder forming a water storage reservoir in which a charge of water isallowed to slowly accumulate. Whenever the operator wishes to pass steam to the article being pressed he depresses the button 53, forcing the water in the storage sp'ace downwardly past the manually operated valve 38 which is depressed from its seat through the valve stem 40. The charge of water passes through. the coupling 35 and the opening 31 in the nipple 30, passing by the ball 32 into the interior of the steam generator 20. The backing lblock 14 being heated by the heating element 12, the chargeV of water falls on a hot surface and is turned to steam, generating a slight steam pressure in the interior of the steam chamber 20. This steam pressure raises the ball 32 against its seatso that the opeinng 31,is closed, the steam pressure being retained in the steam chamber 20 by this means.- This steam pressure is relieved bythe steam flowing through the pipe 24, coupling 25h and the pipe 26 into the interior of the steam channel 29 from whence it passes through the slots 30 into the goods which are being pressed. The operator, as soon as he has passed the charge of water to the interior of the steam chamber 20, releases his pressure on the button 53, the valve 38 assuming its initial position and allowing a supplemental charge ofwater to b'e collected in the storage space. Whenever more water is desired, the. operator again presses down on the button 53, the steam pressure having been in the meantime relieved by the passage of steaml to the fabric being pressed. As soon as the button' 53 has depressed another. charge of water is passed into the.

mittently'by means of th'e button 53.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tailors iron. comprising a body, means for heating said body, a steam generator in said body, means for passing steam from said generator to the goods to be pressed, a water storage reservoir carried by the iron, means for supplying water at a restricted rate to said water storage reservoir, and means controlled by the operator for passing the water from said water storage reservoir into said steam generator.

2. A tailors iron comprising a body, means for heating said body, a steam generator in said body, means for passing steam from said generator to the goods to be pressed, a water storage reservoir carried by the iron, means for supplying water at a restricted rate to said water storage reservoir, means controlled by the operator for passing the water from said water storage 4reservoir into said steam generator, and a check valve for preventing the steam generated from said steam generator from flowing to said water storage reservoir.

3. In a tailors iron a valve structure com'- prising a valve body having a 'cylindrical bore therein, a piston in said bore having a minute water opening therein, a spring for holding said piston at one end of said bore,

- means for supplying water to the same end of said bore above said piston, outlet means for conducting water from the other end of said bore, and a manually operable valve for normally closing the passage through said outlet means.

4. In a tailors iron a valve structure comprising a valve body having a cylindrical bore therein, a piston in said bore having a minute water opening therein, a spring for holding'said piston at one end of said bord-means for supplying water to the same end of Said bore above said piston, outlet means for ccnducting water from the other end of saidjbore, a manually operable valve for normally closing the passage through said outlet means, and a check valve in the passage through said outlet means so arranged as to prevent fluid from flowing through said outlet means into said cylinder.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 1st day of May, 1915.

ALEXANDER DURAND. Y 

